


Edderkopp

by DarkHell616



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Curse Breaking, Developing Relationship, Drider Loki, Exophilia, Fantasy, Fluff, Gen, Magic, Meet-Cute, Mythical Beings & Creatures, POV First Person, Reader-Insert, Teratophilia, drider, unnamed narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkHell616/pseuds/DarkHell616
Summary: Deep in the forest where the hidden creatures reside, is one such creature to instill fear on all who lay eyes upon it.One day, I stumble into the home of this creature, looking for shelter but leaving with an adventure.
Relationships: Loki/Reader, Loki/you
Comments: 15
Kudos: 60





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> So, my little oneshot series is becoming something a little bigger, much like Proposition did.  
> The little story that could...even though I mostly continued it out of spite haha.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Staring into the mouth of the dark cave sent unpleasant tingles down my spine.

My fingers wriggled at my sides, fear beginning to worm its way into my guts the longer I stared.

It wasn't exactly a warm opening.

The circular entrance looked sharp, like an open mouth, baring teeth that were waiting to clamp down as soon as a lonely, needy adventurer stepped over its threshold. Aside from some jagged, moss covered rocks in the front, nothing could be seen beyond the entrance due to the darkness engulfing it.

Overhead, thunder cracked loudly across the sky, which had darkened further during my brief inspection of the entrance and I knew that heavy rain was imminent at any second.

It was after the first signs of rumbling that I had sought out shelter, in the hopes of avoiding a potential storm and this was all I had come across that seemed suitable during my 'on the way' search.

I didn't wish to leave my trail, knowing how deep forests could be and how easy it was to lose sight of where you had come from and which direction you were heading in.

Luckily, this cave happened to be mere feet from where I had been walking, residing on a slight incline that could be easily tread back to my path once dawn peaked and the storm had died down.

"It doesn't have to be deep," I mumbled to myself, taking careful steps up the mud hill before the entrance, "just enough to give me shelter."

Holding out my hand, palm up, I muttered a brief; "Eldr," to ignite a small fire to light my way and provide a little heat when I settled inside.

Upon I reaching the top, I secured my step and cautiously placed my hand on a safer looking part of the wall to step over the threatening rocks that guarded the front, knowing that one minor slip of the foot would cause a lot of damage I couldn't afford to gain just yet.

Stepping inside fully, I shuffled in a little further while using the flame engulfing my palm to illuminate the area, the darkness becoming almost blinding as the sky outside lost all light before finally deciding to roar with thunder and begin its downpour.

I didn't go too far inside, just far enough so that I could sit comfortably and stay both dry and warm while having the perfect view of the exit.

Crouching down briefly, I made a makeshift fire pit to transfer my self-made flame into so I could safely stand and go about my business.

Kicking some loose stones away, I slid off my cloak and set it down on the ground for some added cushioning before slipping my satchel off from my shoulder and sitting down, resting my back against the wall while setting my satchel in my lap for better rifling access.

From inside I pulled out food and a small canteen of clean water, not much, but enough to tide me over until either to storm passed or I fell asleep.

The cave proved to be surprisingly good at retaining heat and soon after I had finished my tiny feast of bread, dried fruit and water, I found myself curling up on the ground, using my satchel as a makeshift pillow and relaxing to the point where I could feel myself begin to drift off into a comfortable rest while listening to the sounds of the storm outside.

Eventually, to the sounds of howling winds and fat rain droplets hitting the forest outside, I feel asleep.

I couldn't say how long I had been asleep before I was roused again, my body aching and head groggy, but it was still pitch black beyond the cave entrance and the sounds of the storm were still filling up the sky though they had died down just a little.

The rain was still hammering down but the thunder had stopped, although there were still the occasional flashes of lightning illuminating small parts of the forest.

Pushing myself up, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes then moved my hand to my nose, trying to coax away the strange coldness I always got after having a nap.

From somewhere behind me, I heard a noise that froze me to the spot and sent unpleasant chills down my spine.

I knew that sound and the dread it instilled made time lapse.

Everyone knows the sound of a scuttling spider.

And this spider sounded big.

Every sense in my body instantly shot into overdrive as I tensed up, my eyes darting around to find the source of the sound but my little, dwindling flame now barely punctured the darkness.

If there was one thing I hated about traveling, especially in forested or rocky areas, it was the spiders.

Those spindly bastards could crawl into any nook or cranny to scare the bejeesus out of you, just when you don't need them to.

The scuttling continued, closer this time and accompanied with a clicking that made every hair on my body stand on end.

I could feel myself beginning to shake, my hands going cold as my insides wriggled uncomfortable like I was full of worms trying to escape.

I wanted to dive down and hide underneath my cape, to pretend that nothing was wrong and it was all my mind playing morbid tricks on me, using the darkness to instill fear when I was already tense and vulnerable.

'Just close your eyes and go back to sleep,' I thought to myself, slowly beginning to ease myself back down, 'maybe put up some protection magic, but I assure you that there's nothing here.'

Slowly easing myself down once again, I clenched my eyes shut and tried to convince myself that it was all in my head.

There was no chittering, no scuttling and certainly no spiders.

Just a storm and some darkness playing tricks on me.

It was just me and my dwindling light.

"My," came a deep, sultry voice from above me, "it seems that I have found a meal to sate me during this terrible storm."


	2. Two

I didn't want to look.

If I didn't acknowledge it then that meant it didn't happen.

It was purely the wind whistling through the cave and the darkness creating whispers that my mind warped into recognizable sound.

That was a thing, wasn't it?

The mind would create something distinguishable from things that weren't immediately identifiable, it was something that had caused many adventurers to go mad in the past, their own minds working against them during times of stress and isolation in hellish places.

Brains could truly be horrific things when they worked against you.

With my heart in my throat and my blood running cold, I muster up enough courage from somewhere deep inside to slowly tilt my head up and confront my fear.

The thing hanging above me was something I could only describe as beyond terrifying and yet, somehow hauntingly beautiful.

Directly overhead was the biggest, blackest spider abdomen I had ever lain witness to, accompanied with the longest and thinnest legs imaginable. The large, rounded back was coated in a strange decoration that made it look as though green paint had been dripped over it.

As opposed to the head expected of a spider, the body extended into the deathly pale and lean abdomen of a human, his back arched so he could look down at me from behind long, black hair that hung down.

Despite his otherwise terrifying appearance, there was something disturbingly handsome about his face, if you could look past the pincers at the sides of his mouth and the sharp teeth behind smiling grey lips.

Surrounding eyes that looked as human as my own were six smaller, almond shaped black ones, three on each side and as dark as the seemingly endless cavern of the cave.

Every fiber of my being was telling me to move, to run into the storm and never look back.

However, every muscle in my body was locked in place as we stared at one another and I could barely blink, let alone twitch a finger.

Tales of driders were terrifying and shared around to coax children away from venturing into unknown terrain, especially rocky areas.

As if their appearance wasn't horrifying enough, the stories told of them being vicious, flesh hungry beings who would cocoon you in their web to slowly drain you before peeling the skin away and snacking on it as if it were nothing but beef strips, a process that would take months and was nothing but pure agony.

"It's been a while since I had such fresh meat," he chuckled, slowly moving across the ceiling and down the wall.

My eyes trailed him as he moved, the skittering of his long legs sending cold chills down my spine.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue," he smirked, his pincers clicking together as he spoke, "or am I so devilishly handsome that it's thrown you off?"

He stopped mere feet away from me, looming over me like a giant and staring down with an expression of pure wickedness, which soon gave away to confusion as his maniacal grin started to fade and one of his dark eyebrows quirked up.

I was still frozen in place, staring up at him as a wave of fear induced nausea made my stomach churn.

"Or are you perhaps mute?"

Somehow, I managed to force myself into swallowing deeply and shaking my head, my entire body protesting my movements by remaining stiff and sore as I moved.

The drider stared down at me before letting out a long sigh, closing his eyes.

"Perhaps I went in too hard."

I found myself flinching before frowning in confusion while he chuckled.

"H-Huh?" I managed to stammer dumbly.

"I'm not used to having company, I'm not great at conversation."

"Con-.." I cleared my throat and swallowed another bout of building saliva, "conversation? You said you were going to eat me."

"I was merely trying to spook you," he smirked, looking me over, "and it seems to have worked."

"Spook? That was meant to be an innocent spook? You scared the hell out of me."

Finally managing to stand up from my spot, I stumbled a little in my haste and nearly lost balance but managed to correct myself and glare him into not laughing, or at least feebly attempt to.

I wasn't entirely certain where this bravado had suddenly appeared from, but I was glad to finally be able to move and talk without my muscles and joints locking up.

Everything inside me was yelling for me to run and never look back, never mind the storm still going on outside, but my common sense somehow managed to push through and tell me that I'd likely get myself lost if I dared to leave in that moment with how flustered I was.

"I-I should go," I stated, dumbly ignoring the voice screaming reason in my head, "sorry for intruding."

"No," he protested too loudly, suddenly surging forward which made me tense up again, my eyes flittering to his deathly looking legs. "Please, it's been a while since I had company."

"That you didn't eat?"

"I mean in general, no one comes out this far, that's why I chose this place in particular."

"So," I drew out slowly, narrowing my eyes a little as I took him in again, trying to get used to his appearance, "you don't plan on eating me?"

That cocky smirk returned as all eight of his eyes roamed over me and a blackened tongue ran across his bottom lip, that deep chuckle seeming to echo around the cave.

"Not in that sense, no."

"Not in any sense, I'm leaving."

I grabbed at my bag and hastily shoved my cape inside, I could put it on later, I had to focus on getting out of there to safety first.

His eyes widened and he quickly scuttled over to stand between me and the cave entrance, just barely catching himself before running into my still burning fire.

"Not yet, please," he begged with soft eyes, his eyebrows furrowed almost sadly, "it's so nice to speak to someone."

I would be lying if I said the desperation in his voice and the sorrowed look on his face didn't tug at my heartstrings, making a little bit of my fear over his appearance ebb away.

Though perhaps not enough to spend a lot of time with him.

"I can offer you shelter," he reasoned, stepping closer again, "just for tonight, that's all I ask."

It was a stupid decision, given my absolute fear of the half-man, but I found myself worrying my lip between my teeth as I considered my options, to which I found that I, rather worryingly, was considering saying yes more than I would have liked.

The logic to stay and keep sheltered was strong, I wasn't sure how far the next village was nor did I know how long the storm would last, if it would settle or get worse.

Did I want to drag myself through a forest while getting soaking wet and potentially make myself severely sick, all because of the fifty fifty chance that I could get eaten?

The slightly pathetic look on his face put me a little at ease, helping me feel less like he was going to eat me and more like he was genuinely lonely.

But that could have all been a rouse, something to keep me sated until he sprang a surprise attack on me.

Eventually, I licked my dry lips and found myself nodding, internally cursing my empathy for rearing its head in this very terrifying moment.

"Okay, I will, just for tonight."

"Great," he grinned, face lighting up excitedly with his tone, "we may as well start with the formalities."

His movements slowed as he neared me, putting every fiber of my being into caution, something I would have to curb over the hours.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with a dramatic bow of his human torso while his front arachnid legs bent to add to the flair, "I am Loki, your host for tonight."


	3. Three

Once the shock of our initial introduction was over, Loki led me further back into the cave.

Perhaps it was foolish to blindly follow him, knowing that there was a high chance of him becoming the predator to my prey, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

He eagerly scuttled into an area that opened up, revealing a small room of rock spikes that were covered in webs and cocoons with small bits of treasury suspended in the pale strings. In two of the furthest corners were two lit sconces, illuminating the area just enough to make out clear areas that would be safe from the webs and dry enough to rest in.

Loki moved across the room with ease and scuttled up the furthest wall, settling into an area where the web was thickest, like a sticky decking.

I managed to awkwardly shuffle my way through the spikes without impaling myself and found a cozy spot to settle myself into, I decided to curl up beside the furthest wall beneath one of the sconces in an area clear of web so that I could move comfortably without that terrible sticky feeling.

Before resting fully, I used some more magic to light another fire close by for warmth and made sure my bag was tucked beneath my head and my cloak covered me fully once again, my tired, drooping eyes watched as Loki got himself comfortable on the opposite side of the space.

Once we had settled in and gotten as comfortable as we could, Loki began his unending chatter.

For a man of amazing spindliness, he was also very funny and charming with some enthralling stories to share, both from his life and of legends he'd picked up along the way.

I'd still jump from time to time when one of his legs would twitch or he'd suddenly scuttle across the room to retrieve something he was telling me about, his face as excited as that of a child showing their parent a newly discovered animal.

His prized possession was a golden helmet he had found during a long trek in the forest.

"I came across a rundown temple of sorts, the crumbling walls were covered in murals of royals," he smiled wistfully, "in what appeared to be a long abandoned bedroom I found this and well...I just felt I had to take it, like it was mine."

It was honestly endearing, how this large and intimidating creature became a ball of eagerness purely because he had some company.

Excitement started to dwindle as we both hit a wall of tiredness, it was hard to say how much time had passed in the back of the cave, where it was nice and warm and shielded from the entrance, so the sounds of the storm were non-existent.

Truthfully, I felt safe.

Despite how much I actively wanted to dislike my night with the drider, I found myself enjoying the time, at least I did once I had gotten used to his appearance.

"Loki?" I asked, voice filled with drowsiness.

"Yes?"

"Do you actually sleep?"

His now familiar deep chuckle echoed a little.

"I do, why do you ask?"

"Well, from my understanding, spiders don't exactly sleep as such, they have their own way of working right?"

"Correct."

"So, seeing as you're half spider, I was just wondering if you actually slept or did it the arachnid way as you're technically more spider than human."

"I've never honestly thought about it, I've always just naturally curled up to sleep like most other non-arachnid that I am aware of."

"Oh, that's good," I nodded slowly, my cheek nuzzling into my bag.

"Though don't be alarmed about my extra eyes, much like a spider, they do not close when I sleep."

"Well, that's just extra creepy."

"I'm all about being creepy," he smirked, adjusting his legs in his web while using a self-made pedestal to rest his human half on.

I only hummed in response, finally letting my tiredness take over as the world and its noises pleasantly drifted in and out of consciousness.

After another unknown amount of time, I was coaxed out of my sleep by a soft murmuring of my name.

The cave was completely dark, the fire having died out as we slept, which meant that I had managed to get at least three hours of sleep.

"Hmm?" I asked groggily, rubbing my eyes to get rid of the gooey sensation sticking to them.

"When you leave, will you ever come back?"

Loki's voice was far away and he spoke so softly I almost missed the sentence entirely, let alone the sadness that laced his voice.

"I dunno," I sighed tiredly through my nose, "would you want me to?"

"I think I would like that."

"You only think?" I snickered lightly, shifting beneath my cloak to tuck my feet in better after noticing just how cold they had gotten.

"No, no I definitely know...I don't want to be alone anymore."

I frowned, lifting my head up from my makeshift pillow to look in his general direction despite the darkness being too much to even hope to see a silhouette.

"How long have you been here?"

It was only then that I realised that in all the hours we had talked, neither of us brought up the obvious, instead I had been content in watching and listening to Loki as he rambled about his forest adventures and his findings.

"For as long as I can remember, honestly."

"And there is no one else around?"

"There is one other who sometimes passes by, a blond haired naga."

"Have you not tried to befriend them?"

"No, although sometimes I feel as if I should, like something is telling me we could be great friends."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is, but that isn't the point, I feel that we are friends now and I don't want you to leave and to never see you again."

"We haven't known each other that long."

"I'm aware, but it's nice to have someone around and I feel we've gotten to know one another enough to claim to be at least light friends."

I smiled groggily and nodded, not knowing if he could see me any better than I could see him.

"I would like that, I'll come back to visit."

"Great," I could hear the smile in his voice before a tense silence took over.

Mere minutes before I'd have used this moment to slip back into sleep, but I could sense that something more was coming and I was now awake.

"Where are you going, anyway?"

There it was, the question I had been dreading him asking since the moment I had agreed to stay with him.

Curling up further beneath my cloak, I wrapped my arms around my chest and stared into the blackness surrounding us.

"I don't know."

"Then why are you so eager to leave?"

"I don't know that either," I said softly, "I can't answer that."


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for simply editing the first four chapters, this one diverted nearly entirely.

By the time I woke up, I was cold, hungry and alone.

The fire beside my head had long died out, leaving my toes to freeze and go numb beneath my cape, though I was still warmer than I would have been at the mouth of the cave.

Sitting up, I pressed my back into the wall of the cave and stretched my arms up over my head, feeling a relieving pull on my muscles as I worked out the knots that had built from sleeping on the floor.

Though to its credit, the night’s sleep had been one of the best I’d had in a long time, much to my surprise.

As I sat there in the near blinding darkness, I noticed the lack of sound coming from outside and deduced that the storm must have ended.

Taking in the moment of peace, I decide to eat a portion of my rations while waiting to see if Loki would return.

I had no intentions to linger, knowing that I would need to get on soon, but I didn’t want to leave without at least thanking him for letting me stay in his territory without eating me like a true gentleman.

My meal was a simple sample of oats and nuts, washed down with the last of my clean water.

It wasn’t much, but I couldn’t afford to eat too much given that I wasn’t entirely certain of when I would next see a village next and my rations were gradually waning.

Granted, forests could be rife with edibles and nutrition, but I wasn’t well read on anything beyond the basics of what was and wasn’t good to eat and even then, my confidence in the matter wasn’t high enough to work on more than simple berries and pines.

I lingered after finishing my small meal, hoping that taking my time with packing away and climbing back to the front of the cave would bide me enough of it to see Loki return from his venture.

He never did.

I sat at the entrance of the cave for a while, watching the sun move across the sky until I felt it time to leave and let Loki come home to peace.

Despite what he had said the night before, I felt strange sitting there in the home of someone who was essentially still a stranger to me, shared stories or not. Part of me rationalised that he had changed his mind and was perhaps watching me from afar, waiting until I left to return home.

Using one of the spots to leverage myself up, I cast a quick glance around before lifting my hand and waving in all directions, hoping that he would notice if he were truly watching from a distance like I believed.

Climbing back to the lower ground was riskier than the incline up, the ground still soggy and slick from the loosened mud, turned to sludge from the hard rainfall.

It was eerily silent, as if the storm had blown away all animals that could make a noise, the only sound came from my own walking, be it snapping twigs or disgusting squelches, and foliage that rubbed together as a breeze blew through their branches.

A few times I thought I heard the clicking of mandibles or the scuttling of long legs coming from somewhere behind me, but each time I looked back proved eventless and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up just a little more.

Rationally, I knew that it was merely the surrounding silence that drove my mind into creating something from the smallest of nothings and yet, I still felt my paranoia rising.

I started to imagine that Loki had been playing a game with me.

Befriend the fly, let it go and then hunt it down again.

I didn’t want to believe that of him, but there was no reason why it couldn’t be true beyond my own hopefulness.

In one single night, a small bond had formed and I wanted to believe the best of him.

People’s expectations of friendship or even romance in passed down stories suddenly didn’t seem so farfetched, even though logically I knew that they were projecting their own wants onto the characters, it had proven to be a little more true than I would have given credit for previously.

Before, I had scoffed at stories of instant bonds, it was passing affection, no one could feel this attached to someone so quickly, it was ludicrous.

But there was something about Loki that kept my mind drawn in, no matter how far I walked.

By the time darkness had started to descend and the light dimmed further and further, it had become a mantra for me to repeat that I didn’t want to go back to the cave and forget about everything, both past and future.

Though, I still wasn’t wholly convinced in my affirmations.

My legs felt like jelly and my lungs burned.

How long had I been walking without taking a break?

I had gotten so lost in my thoughts that I could barely remember stopping at all, though I had a vague recalling of chewing on some cashews while watching the branches above me shake in the wind.

Now that I’d started to pay attention to myself, I noticed just how ragged I felt, disgusting even.

When was the last time I had bathed properly?

It felt like months.

Finally stopping in the middle of the woods, I let my head fall back and closed my eyes while attempting to catch my breath through a tight chest.

Perhaps there was a ravine nearby, if I listened closely enough then surely I could pick up on a sound to follow.

I never did.

The silence offered nothing more than rustles and whistles of wind, so I accepted my defeat and lowered myself to the ground to set myself up for another rough night of sleep on the forest floor.

Maybe if it rained again, I could wet my dry lips.


	5. Five

Another half day of sodden and sore feet passed before I broke out of the treeline, which stood above a grassy hill that lead to an expanse of field at the bottom of which lay a village.

As I watched the people, so small from the distance, walking around buildings and going about their lives and felt the sunlight hit my face, I near fell to my knees and cried with relief.

Time passed so strangely among the trees that I started to doubt my own mind on how long I have been stumbling through the branches and overgrowth, all while trying to push down the temptation to give up and become another lost soul among the trees.

But now I could be free from the strange enchantment and the paranoia that had grown inside of me about Loki, paranoia which soon shifted into guilt over doubting him and believing that he wanted to harm me.

The guilt didn’t last long as relief quickly took its place and my stomach grumbled in eagerness for anything that wasn’t nuts or forest found fruit.

Staggering down the hill, almost falling on many occasions, I laughed and cheered and no doubt seemed less than stable to the people as I neared the village, which still seemed a thousand yards away.

The elation at reaching the village was euphoric, it had felt like so long since I’d had human company and paths to walk that didn’t run the risk of me tripping over something except my own feet.

It was amazing how much of a luxury a village was to travellers such as myself.

Time flew by that afternoon in a flurry of excitement as I visited shops to restock my supplies and took in some of the marvellous sights that they village had to offer, including a wonderful fountain in the centre that was said to be lucky if you threw in a coin laced with a wish.

After weighing myself down with new items, I went to the local tavern and spent the evening filling my stomach, cleaning up all the forest debris and resting my weary bones in both the warmed water of the tub and a bed that wouldn’t be much had I not been spending my nights sleeping on rocks and forest floors.

By that night, I was both buzzed and still exhausted, a combination that found me downstairs in the local bar with fellow travellers, each sharing their own story.

Stories full of woe, danger and thievery.

One traveller was telling a story of her daughter’s marriage to a mime in a circus of mystic wonders and I found myself becoming distracted by mental images of Loki in such a setting, surrounded by other outsiders of various species, performing as one family.

“And what of you?”

I flinched when someone nudged my leg from beneath the table, startling me back to reality and into sitting up higher in my seat.

“I’m sorry, pardon?” I frowned, looking around the table to meet the staring eyes of the others.

“W’as your story?” A one-eyed man with teeth so crooked they protruded like tusks grunted at me.

“Oh, it’s really not that interesting.”

“We’ve heard stories of one dwarves’ fight with a pack of rats,” a woman with the most entrancing eyes laughed, “we are more than interested.”

I looked around the table again, being met with a round of agreeing nods and eager smiles, their excitement made them all the more imposing and it felt as though they were leaning in closer.

Giving a wry smile and a huffed laugh, I could only shrug.

“There truly isn’t, I wanted to leave my home after being fired from a job I was robbed of, so I decided to pack and travel, go somewhere new to start fresh.”

“That’s it?” The grunter grumbled.

“That’s it.”

“Nothing happened during these travels?” A rotund, red haired woman pouted.

“Not particularly,” I smiled while shaking my head, “unless you count getting lost in the forest looking over the village and sleeping in a cave exciting.”

“And you have no tales from the forest?” A hooded figure asked, “not even a wandering spirit?”

“Oh, no!” I laughed with a dismissive wave of my hand, “no such thing.”

I lifted my cup and took a sip, licking my lips slowly as I lowered the tankard once again.

Did I dare tell them?

Would it put Loki in any danger if I mentioned him, not even by name but purely by species?

It seemed unlikely considering how deep into the forest he was and it didn’t seem like the forest was traversed often, so there should be no harm.

“I mean,” I continued with hesitation, “I did get caught in a bad storm and ended up sleeping in a cave with a drider but that’s about all.”

I let out another wisp of a laugh and picked up my tankard again, taking another mouthful to distract myself as my company stared at me, eyes wide and jaws slack.

“You are jesting,” the hooded one said, no humour in their voice.

“Not at all, frightened the life out of me,” I smiled at the thought.

“And you escaped with your life?” Red asked, her eyes widen in astonishment.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”

They all looked to one another, sharing looks that varied from uncertainty, fear and sadness.

“Tell me,” One-Eye started, his voice low and almost sorrowful, “did he give you a name?”

“Yes,” I nodded, frowning as my concern grew, “Loki.”

“I thought as much,” he said with a loaded sigh.

“Why?” I asked, snapping at their secrecy, “what of him?”

The woman with the entrancing eyes held my gaze as the others lowered their heads, appearing as though in prayer.

“There is much to tell about Loki,” she replied softly.

“Such as what?”

“Such as how he and his family wound up as they are."


	6. Six

It had happened many years ago.

As most stories do.

With a kingdom ruled by a family who split the opinions of those they loomed over.

The King was revered and feared among villagers and forced allies.

The Queen was adored and known as a peacemaker who would keep her husband in line, at least as best as she could.

For years the King ruled with an iron fist, acting without remorse to gain control of what was never meant to be his, while the Queen watched on with saddened frowns and distant hopes of keeping those who wished to revolt pleased.

As horrific and unspeakable as some of the King’s actions were, they were needed for the sake of the people and progression of the land.

Only the people wouldn’t take that as an answer for his cruelty, as they naturally shouldn’t when wars were waged over the smallest amount of supplies that were near inconsequential. 

Life went on tensely for years, the barrier between the kingdom and the villagers always thin and on the brink of shattering were it not for the equal balance between King Odin and Queen Frigga.

Frigga worked hard to keep relations as calm as she could.

Things didn’t settle until the first son was born.

The change was incredible, not only in the King but in the land surrounding the kingdom.

It wasn’t immediately noticeable, things changed over time and the atmosphere became less tense among the villages and then the people as new, better order came into view.

Resources became easier to access, requests would be heard and the new parents would visit the villages to meet their people and show their growing boy, though he was still terribly young, the lands that he would eventually rule over.

King Odin was still a grumpy old soul, but he had become more approachable as fatherhood took to him.

Queen Frigga beamed brighter than she had before and this only made the family all the more welcoming.

Then, short years later, a second son was welcomed, much to everyone’s surprise.

No one had heard news of a second pregnancy and quiet murmurs started to whisper around the towns, though the royals themselves neither confirmed nor denied any of the rumours, instead choosing to brush off any questions as to where this young boy had come from so suddenly.

After the uproar of the second boy had died down, things returned to the new normal and life went on relatively peacefully for many a year.

Villages started to strive with better crop harvests and relations continued to grow closer as the royals opened themselves more to the needy, offering more charity and supplies with each passing year.

The two sons grew before everyone’s eyes and became striking men, each with a potential that could benefit in the future upon taking the throne.

They would go to villages for lessons of varying degrees on how to work with those not of their status, learning both skills and humility through the villagers.

They formed bonds with the people and became well loved, especially Thor, the eldest.

All was coming together for a quieter life.

Until an attack brought sorrow and grief upon the kingdom.

One of Odin’s old, more violent acquaintances had taken a liking to this new order, deeming it unworthy of the King and deciding to take it upon themselves to correct the King’s ways.

In an attempt to lure him back to his cruel roots, they ordered an attack upon the palace and the destruction of the village that sat beneath it.

No one was to be left when they were done, only the King and perhaps the eldest boy, who had the potential to grow up to become a fierce warrior under the right tutelage, everyone else was to be deemed expendable.

Fire and carnage raged in the early hours of the morning, waking people with burning homes and terrified screams as armoured strangers ravaged the people and their sanctuary in the name of mindless violence.

The family fought back, even the Queen refused to be pushed into hiding and stood at her youngest son’s side as they worked on protective magic, a barrier that would seal in anyone who dared enter the palace and stop them from retreating back to the village to cause more harm.

The eldest boy had taken to the streets, battling with pure brawn anyone who dared step into his path as he sought out those to attack in the name of protection.

The King held the palace grounds, using old weapons that had long gone untouched to take down those foolish enough to stand off against him.

It was a long, arduous fight that lasted many an hour.

Fighters tired and many more on both sides were taken down entirely.

Blood seemed to coat every surface and wails echoed in an unending cacophony of pain and anguish.

As the opposition’s numbers dwindled, they called a hasty retreat and left the kingdom to deal with their injuries and fallen, the task of accounting for everyone and taking the numbers of the fallen just as long as the battle itself.

Foolishly, someone had dared to run the Queen through with their weapon during the siege upon the castle and she lost her life, protecting others as she had lived her time doing.

The sorrow following the Queen’s death spread quickly and many villages celebrated her life in any way they could, some by holding lavish parties dedicated to her name and others by holding silent praying circles as day turned to night.

The loss was exponential to all, but some would argue that none felt it as harshly as their sons, especially the youngest.

Loki, an already reserved and quiet young man, retreated into himself further and hid away from the world, only to be seen on the rarest of occasions and never for long.

Workers around the palace would whisper among themselves of a change in the youngest Prince, while Thor wore his grief on his sleeve, Loki chose to shield himself with books, studying and learning more advanced magic than his mother would have ever dared to teach him.

Not because he wasn’t skilled, on the contrary, Frigga had adored her son’s natural ability to learn and use magic so easily, but it was more that she was scared of how far he would push his power and the harm it could cause not only to him but to those surrounding him.

By the time the circles around his eyes had deepened, his skin had paled to the point of looking sickly and his already thin face became a hollow shell of what it once was, it was too late.

Intervention was no longer an option.

The night when King Odin was to push his own grief aside and talk to his son about his solitude was the night everything changed.

No one knows the full details of what happened.

Some say it was a spell to shift reality to his whim.

Others say that an outsider snuck into the palace to take advantage of the family’s sorrow.

The darkest rumour was that the Prince was working with the blackest magic imaginable and was attempting to raise the dead.

There was only one thing all stories agreed upon, no matter who was asked and what story they believed to be true.

Every account told of a magical surge that ran throughout the kingdoms, one powerful enough to knock people off stable feet and to rattle valuable crockery in their place.

Things had changed dramatically across all kingdoms Odin ruled over, a strange fog descended and darkness reigned for three consecutive days.

When the darkness finally lifted, the King and his sons had disappeared entirely.


	7. Seven

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, looking at him with a saddened frown.

Two days had passed since I had been told the story and I found that it refused to leave me, echoing in the back of my head like an old fairytale I had been told in childhood.

I hadn’t managed to get much sleep that night, finding myself tossing and turning as I tried to distract myself from what I’d been told with no success.

After dwelling over it through the duration of breakfast, I decided that I would venture back to the forest and ask him directly about the tale, needing to know if it was true or some elaborate story made up to explain the monster among the trees.

Somehow, the trek back to Loki’s from the village at the bottom of the field didn’t seem as long, despite the amount of time it had taken me to initially break through the treeline the first time.

I blamed the distraction of my goal for this, a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time.

A sense of purpose.

Loki stared at me, his mouth pressed into a line and his eyes fogged over until he snapped from his reverie and started to shake his head, growing more vigorous as he rose from his perch and started pacing on his many sleek legs.

I remained perched on the flattest rock I could find to sit on, bag by my feet and eyes trailing him.

“No, that’s not true, you’re lying to me,” he said skittishly.

“It’s merely a story, Loki, but I need to know if it’s true.”

“Of course it isn’t! I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Well the villagers and travellers seem pretty adamant that you did, that it’s true and you caused a curse to be placed upon your family.”

“And you believe it?” He snapped, turning to me sharply and rising higher on his imposing legs. “Why? Because I’m a monster? You think I would harm my own family?!”

I cowered away from him trying to tuck myself into the wall behind me as he loomed above, glaring at me with an expression of pure betrayal and disgust.

“No,” I answered meekly, “at least not on purpose.”

“So you worked on a hunch and came all this way to feed me lies, mere days after I thought we had struck up a friendship.”

“We are still friends,” I said hastily, leaning forward again, “that’s why I came back, I wish to help you.”

“Help me?” He grimaced, stepping back to counter my own movement.

“Yes, that naga you’ve mentioned could be Thor, your brother and no one can locate your father but there is talk of a cyclops who roams the mountains due west who could very well be him.”

“And what if they are? They most likely have no memories of this if it were true, as I don’t.”

“Perhaps not, but maybe we can help you all by finding the truth and settling this matter, reserving whatever magic took place.”

Reasoning seemed to be setting in, he stopped moving in agitation and settled in a spot mere feet away from me.

Loki lowered himself when anger seemed to shift to nerves, his spidery pincers skittering as he wrung his hands anxiously, all his eyes flickering around to look towards the entrance to the cave.

“You want me to leave the forest?”

“If that’s where this takes us, yes,” I nodded.

He turned away from me, swaying on his spot as he continued to stare towards the entrance and started to let out a strange clicking that sent unpleasant shivers down my spine.

As the moment lingered, I was close to sliding off of my rock to approach him and rest a comforting hand on his abdomen, but instead he turned towards me with an expression of pure uncertainty.

“You truly believe this tale?”

“To an extent, though there’s always more to it, hm?”

He nodded quickly, taking a deep and shaky breath in before letting it out.

“Okay, but if I say I’m done then I am done and you cannot talk me into pushing further, understood?”

“Absolutely,” I smiled with more excitement than I should have exhibited, “that’s only fair.”

Jumping from my rock, I hastily grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder before practically running to stand by his side.

He had watched my all the while, an unconfident frown etched onto his strangely handsome face as he squeezed his linked fingers together.

I looked up at him with the most reassuring look I could muster, despite my own reservations about the impromptu adventure.

“It’ll be okay,” I nodded resolutely, shifting on my feet.

“You seem as certain as I feel,” Loki whispered, huffing a faint laugh.

“Yes, well…” I returned his laugh, taking a look around the cave he had called home for whoever knows how long.

As my gaze shifted towards the corner he had slept in that night we had shared, something embedded within thick webbing glinted as the fire in the sconce flickered.

The helmet, his most prized possession for reasons even he couldn’t fully decipher.

Thinking back on it, something about the golden horned headgear felt familiar, like a distant and hazy childhood memory that refused to come to light no matter how much it was dwelled upon.

I stared at it for a moment then pulled myself from the reverie, I licked my bottom lip then looked back up at him.

“Bring the helmet.”

He scrunched his face up in confusion, almost seeming to flinch at the mere idea.

“Why?”

My mouth flounders as I try to think of a legitimate answer to his question but find myself faltering before shrugging.

“I don’t know, I just feel like it’s important somehow.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that reasoning.”

“Besides,” I laughed softly as he made his way across the cavern and up the wall towards his web, “would you really be Loki without it?”


	8. Eight

I stumbled down from the rock, my legs nearly giving out, if it hadn’t been for the rock itself being there for me to fall back against then I was sure I’d have ended up on the dirt floor.

We had set off from Loki’s first thing in the morning, giving ourselves an early night and early rise in order to make the most of the time that we would get, using the hours in between to talk over a plan of action.

Not that there was much to plan at this point beyond; Let’s find the naga.

“I thought you said he wasn’t far,” I panted, feeling a tightness in my chest that usually only reared its head when I’d been running.

“And he isn’t,” Loki replied casually, scuttling over the rock with ease, “your small human legs are just making it longer.”

I glared up at him before slowly easing myself down to sit on the ground, shifting my bag around in the process.

Setting it between my legs, I hastily unclasped it and started to rifle through for my canteen of water.

Luckily, I’d managed to scrounge plenty for this journey before leaving the village to return to Loki with the story, so now my pack was filled with long dated food and water, as well as pouches of tea and soup to be warmed when I settled for the night.

Hopefully, it would be enough to tide me over until we near another village, depending on where this journey would take us.

Tilting my head towards the sky, I closed my eyes let out a long sigh.

Night was falling upon us faster than I had hoped, a day had already been wasted and it felt like we had gotten nowhere fast.

“We should probably set up for the night,” I said, opening my eyes again and lifting my head to look towards Loki.

His attention as focused towards the sky, a small frown furrowing his brow.

“I think it’s going to rain tonight.”

“Again?” I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

“Yes,” he looked down at him then flickered his eyes between the trees, “I may be able to put up a web before it hits, just some insulation from the rain to keep us dry and warm.”

“That would be appreciated, I can light my fire and heat up some food.”

I started digging through my bag again then stopped, looking up at him.

“You can eat human food, right?”

“To an extent, though it’s usually better if it’s soft or liquid.”

“Right, makes sense,” I nodded, pulling out a large canteen, “luckily, I have soup.”

He gave a brief nod and I stood up, turning on the spot.

“So, where would you deem the best place to set up our little love shack?”

Loki looked down at me with squinted eyes, shaking his head a little at the confusion.

“Pardon?”

I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips, smiling widely.

“Sorry, I’ll dumb it down a little, where good place to make web?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes, his mandibles clicking in irritation.

“I merely wondered about your wording, not what it meant,” he shook his head.

“Okay, don’t get your mandibles in a twist.”

“And another thing, they are not ‘mandibles’, they are called chelicerae.”

“Oh,” I said, my eyebrows raising along with the pitch of my voice, “duly noted.”

Loki nodded then scuttled past me, heading towards a set of four trees that created a wonky semi-circle with a thick canopy of leaves hanging above.

“I feel that here would be best,” he called over his shoulder, inspecting the branches, “the trees have overlapping branches which keep the leaves together nicely, so it shouldn’t take me too long to get at least the start of shelter up before the rain starts.”

“All right,” I started to make my way over, climbing over a few smaller rocks which gave our intended sleeping area a small platform, “you work your magic and I’ll focus on clearing the ground so there’s space for us.”

After scouting the area a little more, we gave each other a look and then started on our individual tasks.

Luckily, the ground was mostly clear and didn’t take a long of adjusting, only a couple of rocks and fallen branches needed to be moved to make the room that I needed to settle down.

Once I made a fire pit with some of the smaller bits of rock and twig, I used a light bit of magic to get a blaze going to keep us both warm.

Every so often as I worked, I would glance up to watch Loki working his own magic, weaving in a way only a master could, the webbed canopy coming together in next to no time.

By the time I had poured some of the soup and had it heating in a pan over the fire, light droplets of rain started to fall and Loki had created the thickest webbing he could.

“It’ll do for now, but it’s not my best work,” he sighed as he eased himself beside me.

“As long as it keeps us mostly dry, that’s what matters.”

We fell out of conversation, watching the soup as it started to bubble as the sounds of the forest surrounded us.

I felt more secure with Loki than I had while trekking through by myself, not only because he was quite large and terrifying upon first meeting but also because he offered a knowledgeable insight into the forest’s nooks and crannies that could prove useful during our outing.

Leaning forward, I set my wooden spoon into the pan and gave the soup a good stir.

“You never did tell me why you’re travelling.”

I paused for a moment before sitting back, adjusting my cloak around my shoulders as a chilled breezed crept in from my right side, the rain getting harder as darkness descended.

“I guess I just wanted something different,” I shrugged, “typical, fantasy ‘I want’ bull, you know?”

“Not really” he shook his head, “but I think I get it, was it that bad where you came from?”

“Honestly? No, it was just so mundane and monotonous,” I shook my head, leaning back on my hands. “Day in and day out it was the same routine, everyone did the same thing and nothing ever changed, it was peaceful but so dull.”

“So you left? Just like that?”

“Pretty much,” I shrugged, “I got a taste of the forest and what was beyond our village and wanted more.”

“That’s all?”

I stared into the fire, nodding slowly as thoughts of my first day beyond the village limits stirred up, leading to the one memory that always came up on a loop whenever I allowed myself to linger too long.

“Yeah,” I nodded, sitting up to stir the soup again by means if distraction, “that’s all.”


	9. Nine

The morning came with a cold wind and spattering of rain, our fire having died out hours earlier and our protection seeping small bits of water over us.

My flimsy cloak did little to protect me against the bitter wind and I could tell, as I pushed myself up on cold and numb arms, that it was going to be a miserable day to travel.

Luckily, my cloak had remained safe from the leaking that came through the web and would provide enough protection for the time being while I tried to come up with some magic that would keep us both dry.

It had been something I’d been trying to work on for a while but still hadn’t succeeded, in fact most of them seemed to make it worse and I’d given up after the seventh attempt.

Branches creaked from behind me and I turned in time to watch Loki creepily unfurl himself from the darkness the overcast sky and canopy of leaves created.

Although by this point I had grown accustomed to seeing him and had, for the most part, gotten over my minor fear of his stature, this sight sent strange tingles down my spine.

Watching his long legs emerge from the darkness, followed by his pale torso as he stretched out the kinks from sleeping, was terrifyingly mesmerising.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Slowly, he moved further towards the little campsite we’d set up the previous night, rubbing his eyes and yawning widely.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“And to you,” I nodded in reply, my eyes travelling up to his mussed bed hair. “Did you sleep well?”

“As well as you when far from home.”

I let out a soft laugh, “I suppose I’m used to it by now, the rain was rather soothing.”

“Yes, it can be a natural way to lull yourself to sleep.”

I smiled at him then crouched down to begin packing away our scarce number of things.

“Does the rain not disturb the web?”

“Last nights didn’t, it wasn’t hard enough, but it can break the web if it gets too heavy, luckily we have a tendency to break and rebuild webs anyway so it’s not too much of a hassle.”

“Oh, well as long as it didn’t keep you up by constantly needing to be mended.”

“Not at all,” he chuckled, lowering himself closer to the ground, “I put up a few layers, so we were well protected should the top layer break.”

“Wonderful,” I smiled wider, looking up at him, “should we eat before heading off or are you good to go?”

He pulled his lips to one side, his chelicerae clicking together as he tilted his head.

“I could go for a bite.”

I let out a small laugh, which earned me a raised eyebrow and a confused look.

“What? Spider’s are more known for liquifying their food, correct? Sure you still bite but…” I trailed off with a long sigh, “never mind.”

Loki’s wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

“I am not a pure spider you know, I can eat normally, it just has to be small bites at a time.”

“Great, also another note,” I said, shaking my head, “no need to get huffy, I’m still learning about your kind.”

He let out a scoffed laugh, looking away from me.

“Perhaps this was your destiny for travel, learning about my kind and writing about it.”

“I’d rather not.”

“You could get fame and riches.”

“That’s really not what I’m after.”

“Ah yes, you don’t know why you’re travelling.”

I glanced up at him to find him smirking down at me, his eyes narrowed as if he were trying to call a bluff I didn’t know I was holding.

After returning a hardened look, I turned away and stated to rifle through my bag to find a selection of dried fruits and nuts.

“Will you be all right travelling in this weather?” I asked, my head still buried in my satchel.

“I’ll manage until we reach our next point.”

Letting out a small hum, I shimmied my satchel over my head to rest it on my shoulder then opened the brown bag of hidden goods.

“How long do you think that will take?” I asked, popping a raisin and an almond into my mouth before holding the bag to him.

“With your little legs? We should be there in two more days.”

I glared at him and earned a chuckle and an impish grin.

He was boyishly charming, there was no denying that one, like an overgrown, eight-legged puppy.

Turning my nose into the air, I huffed and stepped around him just as he reached for the bag, clambering off the rock while holding the packet close to my chest.

“Hey!” He protested, scampering after me.

Our continued quest felt like it took an age to continue.

We ate our fill of the nuts and fruit as we walked and then fell into a steady rhythm, making minor progress in comfortable silence until we reached a point on our path where the canopy of trees no longer acted as a barrier for the rain and thus the ground we needed to tread became slick.

Although I had grown accustomed to travelling in different conditions, I still couldn’t help but dislike when my path became too slippery to walk comfortably on.

Wet mud and snow were some of the worse conditions to over, it always slowed me down significantly as I took each step as carefully as I could to be sure that I didn’t fall head over heels into a nearby puddle that’d soak into my bones and leave me freezing during the night as I tried to dry them by the fire.

“Will you be okay?”

I looked up to Loki then let out a long sigh, cautiously moving my left foot forward.

“I’ll have to be, won’t I?”

With slow and steady movements, I move forward one careful step at a time, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in my back with each new footing.

There were a few instances where my heel slipped beneath my weight, each time making my heart jump into my throat until I manage to save myself from sliding into dangerous territory.

The trees started to thin out the further we went and the rainfall got harder, thick drops bouncing off the already wet ground and making everything slicker as we pushed forward.

Rain poured down my face as it started to get heavier and I had to duck my head down to avoid getting water in my eyes, it was then that I noticed just how much mud was now covering the bottom of my well-worn trousers and how my boots were caked in brown slush.

“I think we’ll have to find somewhere to stop!” I yelled over the pounding of the rain.

“Maybe,” Loki replied, “this is getting really bad!”

I came to a stop on a secure spot to gather my surroundings, after wiping my face free of rain I use my hand to shield my eyes from further water and attempt to survey the area for shelter.

“The trees have really thinned in this area,” I frowned, squinting towards Loki through my cold eyelids.

“It’s mostly a rocky terrain here,” he nodded, “rock and mud but if we push forward a while longer we’ll get to thicker canopy again, not much but enough to give us shelter.”

“If you’re sure.”

I turned away again and took another step forward, holding my arms out for better balance as though that would actually make a difference.

It made no difference when one of the rocks I stepped on proved to be looser in the ground than I anticipated and slipped out from beneath my foot, sending me sideways towards a short, muddy slope.

In a quick flurry of panic, I waved my arms to regain my composure as Loki yelled my name and jolted forward, barely managing to pull me to him before two of his thin legs skidded down the same path as the rock and we both were sent rolling down the embankment.


End file.
